
Wood Types and Burn Time
Hard
Does oak burn longer than birch? When choosing firewood, the type of tree matters more than the size of the log. This project compares three common woods.
You set up a fire using two pieces of one type of wood along with newspaper and kindling. You check the fire every 10 minutes and record when the wood has fully burned. You repeat this with three types: oak then maple then birch.
Oak burned the longest and the hottest. Birch burned the fastest. The difference shows that denser hardwoods hold their heat much longer than softer woods.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that birch will burn the fastest compared to oak and maple.
Method & Materials
You will set up a fire with different types of wood and measure how long it takes for each one to burn.
You will need two pieces of wood, some newspaper, kindling, and a timer.
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See what’s includedResults
The results showed that oak took the longest to burn and birch took the shortest time to burn. It burned the hottest, too.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how different types of wood can burn differently.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include testing different types of wood, or testing different sizes of wood.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related video
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
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